TGS Genderbent oneshots
by LyonessaStark
Summary: What if Phineas Taylor Barnum was Paulina, Phillip Carlyle was Phillippa Carlyle, and Jenny Lind was James Lind? A series of genderbent oneshots for this wonderful movie. I will probably do more in the near future.


Phillippa Carlyle's an absolute scandal. That's why Paulina thinks she would be good if she joined the circus. So she's invited her to a bar where they can talk a little. Phillippa takes the glass poured for her, and drinks it in one drop, then turns to Paulina.

"You see, I can't run off and join the circus." Phillippa explains, not that she cares much what her parents think.

"Why not?'' Paulina shrugs. She takes a drink herself, and pops a peanut into her mouth. Phillippa simply replies, "My parents. They would be furious. I mean, I am an aristocrat. I'm a Carlyle. Father would be furious with me.'' Then again, her father had stopped talking to her ever since she'd published her first play.

Paulina laughs at that. She has never been one to care for what society thinks. And neither has her husband, Charles, who upon marrying her had changed his last name to hers, so instead of becoming Mrs Paulina Hallett, he became Mr Charles Barnum. ''It shouldn't matter what your parents think. You're a young woman of one and twenty, and you ought to make your own decisions.''

Finally, after a couple of drinks, and some sharp bargaining, Phillippa joins the circus, with a "Ma'am, I think you've got yourself a junior partner.''

Paulina replies, ''What I think I have is an overcompensated apprentice.''

* * *

Phillippa is instantly captivated when she sees half black, half white Andrew Wheeler fly towards her on the trapeze. He is handsome for a mixed-race boy, and the first thing that comes to her head after staring into his chocolate brown eyes is "Who's that?''

Paulina promptly pulls her down the same flight of steps they just went up, and after yelling at a man to get his hats out of the place, introduces her to Andrew and his sister, Wilhemina Wheeler.

Wilhemina shakes her hand briskly, and Andrew then asks, in a Southern accent that sounds like honey, "And just what is your act, Miss Carlyle?''

"I don't have an act.'' she finds herself responding. Andrew laughs.

"Everyone's got an act.'' and he walks off with a laughing tone in his voice, and Phillippa thinks to herself, _He is better then all those boys my parents insist I meet._

* * *

Paulina just can't believe it. She just can't. Out of a job _again. _God, the next time she gets fired, she's going to throttle her employer so hard he'll be seeing stars- and the roof of the apartment she lives in with her family is leaking again.

_Where's Charles,_ she wonders, and guesses, _Up on the roof._ So she climbs up there, and she does find Charles, playing with their sons Harold and Charles Jr.

''What happened, dear?'' he comes over to her.

"I lost my job.'' Paulina sighs. Charles embraces her, and they kiss lightly. When he pulls away, she says, "This isn't the life I promised you. Not even close.''

''But I have everything I want.'' Charles replies, confused. It is true. He has Paulina, and their two wonderful boys. ''What more could I ask for?'' And yet his dear Paulina shakes her head, as if to say, no, it is not enough.

"Where's the magic?'' she asks. Charles heads over to their two sons, and wraps his arm around them. "These two are all the magic I'll ever need.'' And Paulina smiles.

* * *

James Lind is unsure of what to think of this far-too-forward American woman, Paulina Barnum. She is pretty, anyway, with wavy dark brown hair and big hazel eyes. The first thing he says to her, after they are introduced by Miss Phillippa Carlyle, is ''You are the American. I think I might have heard of you.''

Paulina smiles at him, and replies, ''If you have heard of me all the way over here, then I suppose I must have been doing something right.''

''That, or something very wrong.''

"In the world of publicity there is hardly a difference, I am afraid.'' Paulina says in mock sadness, and attempts to flutter her fan gracefully.

James smiles, and says" I believe those are the words of a scoundrel, Mrs Barnum.''

"A showman, Mr Lind, just a showman. The best on my side of the Atlantic.'' Paulina says proudly.

* * *

**After watching The Greatest Showman, I wanted to write a series of genderbent oneshots, and here they are. The reason for Phineas becoming Paulina is because in real life Pt Barnum had a daughter named Pauline Taylor Barnum, and Pauline became Paulina.**


End file.
